Here you have it:

The most up-to-date list for a 

Diesel Mechanic Business Owner's Wife.

• Be sure to love cleaners. The stronger the better! Do not go green in this area. Oh and you should probably love cleaning too.

•  Prepare for phone calls 24 hrs a day. They will probably not be emergencies when they are at 10 o'clock at night, but learn to not roll your eyes. To that person, noise coming from his driveshaft IS an emergency. He may even think it's an emergency if he can't find a parking spot at your shop to unload his dead truck. And if the phone calls come at 4 a.m., just be thankful that your husband can answer the phone.

• Never forget that your spouse is still most important in your whole circle of people. You may not have fallen in love in a work setting, but you can certainly stay in love, no matter how stressful your work setting is. Even if you feel that he is of the least importance to you at the end of the day, wipe your "feeling slate" clean, leave work behind, and go home and pretend he just came home from a long hard day at work and you're thrilled to see him!

•  Learn how to write out checks or bills (when people are waiting) while you are on the phone pricing input shafts. Then learn to get them both right. ( In case you were wondering, the input shafts were wrong today.)

•  Care about people. Remember whether they are pleasant or whether they annoy you, they need their truck fixed, they need friends, and they need Jesus. 

•  Focus on what does get done, not what doesn't. Realize that the shop may be a disaster, but you DID get your phone calls made.

•  Fall in love with the colors black and gray. They will be your best friends. Your coats, your jackets, in fact, actually, all your clothes should be this color. Don't read "Color Me Beautiful" and other books that might tell you it doesn't match your skin tone. The tone of your skin will probably be more of a gray by the end of the day anyway so that really doesn't matter.

•  Do not get attached to your truck. Oh and learn the different parts of the engine. When the truck doesn't start and your husband is trying to tell you how to start it, it's a lot easier if you know what he's talking about.

•  Answer the phone pleasantly. Customers notice.

•  Honesty should be your number one policy in every aspect of your business. Appreciate that your husband holds firm to that, no matter if you feel that things aren't working out the way you wish they would at the time.

•  Grease is ok. Embrace that fact and realize that even if your hands are fairly black, they will wash off. Cleaner. Lots of it, remember?! The grease does not have to always remain on your wall by the light switches.

•  Learn to be a good boss and a co-worker. This might be interesting if you're never worked for anyone before but you can learn. Management can be tricky, but with time and determination, anything can be bettered.

• Make your husband's goals your own. A lot more can get accomplished that way.

•  Ask questions. They might seem dumb, but it's the only way to learn. 

•  Have an clean sweatshirt for when you have to drive somewhere. It keeps your seat belts cleaner. :)

•  Smile. Even if you are covered in grease and you feel like everyone who sees you will laugh at you, wear that grease with confidence and smile a lot. The goal is to not only be remembered by your outfit, but by a contagious personality.